Currency exchange (stunt)
McDonald’s wanted to announce the launch of its Worldwide Favorites Menu in the U.S and they wanted an idea that would drive trial.
We proposed the Currency Exchange, where McDonald's restaurants would accept foreign currency in exchange for one of the new menu items. Customers could bring in any amount of foreign currency from any country to redeem the deal, as long as it was real money.
The idea was simple to execute and communicate, so it drove plenty of trial. Social was abuzz with people digging up mines of pesos from their Cancun trip, claiming they would try everything. There were reddit threads popping up of customers planning how to get a meal for the least amount of money. (On the day of the deal, one Iranian Rial was the steal of choice according to Reddit).
Earned Media
The activation got plenty of earned media from outlets like Business Insider, Fox, and USAToday among others. The news was out, and people certainly took heed.
Note: Before announcing the idea, we also did some research on access to foreign currency based on socio-economic status. Turns out, there wasn’t much correlation— almost everyone had some form of foreign currency saved from a trip or gifted from a loved one. And because the amounts weren’t specified, people could access the deal with less than a penny’s equivalence.